Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #3
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeStar Wars: Legacy of Vader #3 is a pivotal chapter in Marvel's ongoing effort to canonically fill the largely unexplored gap between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker — a stretch of the timeline that, as writer Charles Soule has noted, was 'almost entirely open.' The issue deepens the generational parallel between Anakin Skywalker and Ben Solo by placing Kylo Ren captive on Tatooine, his grandfather's homeworld, and using that imprisonment as the crucible through which Ren begins to internalize — rather than simply fetishize — Vader's path. Crucially, a Force-vision sequence in which Ren communes with Darth Vader and receives the chilling admonition that everything magnificent was achieved alone functions as a thematic hinge of the series, crystallizing how the franchise's sequel-era dark side philosophy was seeded in the space between the films. The issue also advances Vaneé's role as a morally slippery dark-side mentor to Ren, a dynamic that carries direct narrative weight across the entire run.
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The series was first teased by Charles Soule at New York Comic-Con in October 2024 and formally announced on StarWars.com the same month, with Marvel Comics positioning it as a spiritual bookend to Soule's two most celebrated prior Star Wars runs — his 2017 Darth Vader series and the 2019 Rise of Kylo Ren miniseries. Editor Mark Paniccia shepherded the project, with artist Luke Ross — a veteran of War of the Bounty Hunters and Star Wars: Thrawn — joining Soule as the series' primary visual architect. Issue #3 was published on April 16, 2025, and was part of the same wave of new Marvel Star Wars titles launched in early 2025 to coincide with the tenth anniversary of The Force Awakens, with the series also promoted at Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025.
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- Published April 16, 2025, by Marvel Comics; written by Charles Soule, with interior art and inks by Luke Ross, colors by Nolan Woodard, lettering by VC Joe Caramagna, and cover art by Derrick Chew.
- The issue is set in 34 ABY, during the in-universe period immediately following Star Wars: The Last Jedi and before The Rise of Skywalker — a timeline gap with virtually no prior canonical comic coverage.
- Core plot: Kylo Ren is held captive and tortured in the dungeon of Gardulla the Hutt on Tatooine; he breaks free using Force lightning, kills what appears to be a young Krayt dragon, and then calls General Hux to order an orbital bombardment of Gardulla's palace.
- A gas-induced Force-vision sequence presents Ben Solo with an image of Darth Vader cutting down Rebel troopers; Ren asks his grandfather for guidance, and Vader's response — that he achieved his greatness entirely alone — serves as the thematic spine of the issue.
- Rey appears in the issue as part of Kylo's vision of his encounter with her at the end of The Last Jedi, reinforcing the emotional tension of the series' present-day narrative.
- Armitage Hux appears in the issue when Kylo contacts him via a stolen transmitter to order the bombardment of Gardulla's palace — a scene consistent with the established Ren–Hux command dynamic.
- The issue closes with Kylo contacting Vaneé — Darth Vader's former attendant who first appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and who now serves as Ren's dark-side guide across the series — underscoring that Vaneé arranged the encounter with Gardulla and is playing a deeper long game.
- A 1:25 retailer incentive variant cover by Rafael Albuquerque was made available alongside the standard Derrick Chew cover and a Stephanie Hans variant.
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